Once Upon a Chaotic Life
by piper maru duchovny
Summary: Life is just downright messy no matter how you play your cards. A Moss AU.


**I'm posting this from my grandma's couch - where I also wrote it - on a very weak wifi signal so I hope this works. **

**Dedicated to Rachel because this is her birthday fic and there's not a person in the verse who loves Moss more. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own jack crap. **

He walked with a poise that accompanied men and not children. Today was his fourth birthday and he was allowed to do anything that he wanted. His mom had told him to reach for his wildest dreams but had declined his request to travel to the moon. So, instead Caleb Monroe had asked his mother if he could "pretty please with sugar and ice cream and cherries on top" go with her to work. So, Lindsay Monroe had used every ounce of her Montana charm to connive her boss into allowing her son to accompany her to work.

With Mac Taylor's permission, on July 31st, Caleb Monroe walked into the New York City crime lab holding his mommy's hand and skipping beside her. His dark brown hair was spiked with gel, a vistor's badge clipped to his plaid button down, and his dark wash jeans into his dark brown cowboy boots. Caleb's tanned hand was tucked into Lindsay's and as he skipped, he sang, "I gots a brand new gir'find we went and jump off da deeeeep end-"

"-Caleb Anthony!" Lindsay scolded and looked at him in shock, "where on earth did you hear that song?"

"Uhm," Caleb mumbled and looked down at the tile floor as they waited on the elevator, "you, Mommy?"

Lindsay sighed, cursing her love for the one country radio station she could find in Manhattan, "Alright, Dude, you win this round. Next time we listen to your Disney cd."

"Okay!" He grinned, "Mama?"

"Baby?"

He looked up at her in bewilderment, "Whatchya do here?"

"You know what I do," Lindsay chuckled, "I help catch bad guys."

Caleb cocked an eyebrow in the way only a child could, "But what ya _do_?"

"I'm a scientist," Lindsay explained as the elevator car carried them up to the lab, "While the cops go get the bad guys, Mommy makes sure that there is stuff to keep the bad guys in jail."

"Oh." Caleb nodded solemnly as the doors opened up to the lab. The little boy's jaw dropped as he took in the sights of the bustling floor. Around them people swarmed and as Lindsay lead him through the lab he was unsure of which way to look in order to take it all in.

He had to run to keep up with Lindsay as she lead the way to her office. His little legs just couldn't carry him quite as fast as they needed to move. Lindsay smiled at him as she let him, "This is my office, Bub."

"Cool, Mama." He looked around and raced to her desk, pointing at a picture, "That's me!"

"That is you," Lindsay agreed and sat in her desk chair, pulling him into her lap, "and Grandpa Monroe on Thunder. And that's..."

"Uncle Jake!" Caleb squealed with glee, "I 'member! Gran'pa let me drive!"

She pressed a kiss to his cheek and nuzzled his neck, "That's right, Grandpa let you drive the tractor that day. You still want to be a farmer?"

"How?" He raised his hands with the palms up in confusion, "New York don't gots no farm."

"Really?" Lindsay giggled, "You gonna live in the city for the rest of your life? Take care of your mommy when she gets old?"

"Yup and yup!" He snuggled into her chest, "Gonna love you forever."

"Love you forever too, Baby." She pressed a kiss to the side of his head before turning on her computer, "Mama's got to do some paperwork. Do you wanna color?"

With a brisk nod the freshly four year old dove into his book bag in search of crayolas and his coloring book. He colored contentedly on her lap as she reached around him to type on her computer. Every once and a while he mumbled under his breath, lost in his own little world, and Lindsay would smile at his creativity. He was in the middle of coloring an orange purple when Danny Messer walked into the office they shared, "Hey, Montana, I didn't know it was bring your offspring to work day."

"Hey, Danny," She smiled up at her partner, "this is Caleb and today's his birthday. Caleb, this is mommy's partner, Danny."

"Hi," Caleb slid off his mommy's lap and, just as he had been taught, extended his hand to the stranger.

Danny looked at the child incredulously before shaking his hand, "Hey, Kiddo. Nice set of manners you have."

"Thank you," His voice was quiet and just an octave below the squeak of a field mouse.

"Cute kid," Danny told Lindsay, "but we got a crime scene, Montana."

"Crap," Lindsay groaned and was half-tempted to kick the innocent computer, "Mac promised me I'd just have to come in and do paperwork today."

"Sorry," He shrugged, "we're swamped today. Stella's solo on a triple out in the Bronx. Mac is training Hawkes on a body dump at the Hilton. And that leaves you and me with a very lovely, potentially gang related, shooting in Harlem. What do you usually do with Little Montana when you gotta work?"

"My Uncle Freddy's wife usually watches him," Lindsay explained, "but I told her she had the day off and took it to accompany Uncle Freddy upstate for a fishin' trip."

Danny nodded, taking this information into consideration, "Give me a minute. I think I can scrounge up a babysitter."

"You are not calling your poor mother in to watch my son," Lindsay warned him, "it's bad enough you tricked her into making us lunch when we had that case last month."

"Oh hush," He waved his hand at her before disappearing out of the room.

Lindsay let out a soft growl and turned to her son, "I'm sorry, Bud."

"I can still color right?"

"For sure."

"Mkay then." He shrugged and turned back to his coloring book.

The room was silent – sans the sounds of paper being scribbled on – for nearly five minutes before Danny returned with their newest lab tech, Adam, in tow. Lindsay looked at the lab rat sympathetically, "No, Messer."

"C'mon, Monroe," Danny jutted out his lower lip pathetically, "what choice do ya got? Adam here has five nieces and nephews that he's well versed in babysitting. I'm sure he can keep Caleb in check for a couple hours."

"Doesn't he have work to do?" She turned to Adam, "Don't you have work to do?"

"I just got off," Adam explained, "I don't have another shift until tomorrow night and I really don't mind watching the little guy."

"If you're sure," Lindsay gave him a grateful smile, "I'd really appreciate it and it would just be for a few hours."

"Not a problem. Little man and I can go grab some pizza and maybe hit the arcade," Adam suggested, "we can meet you back here in time for you to take him to a birthday dinner."

Lindsay looked at her son, "That okay with you?"

"Yes 'am!" Caleb jumped off his position on her lap and raced to Adam, grabbing his extended hand, "I'm Caleb, nice to meetya Mister!"

"Sup, dude?" Adam picked him up and carried him from the room.

–

A single quickly gave way to a double and it was nearly midnight before Lindsay Monroe dragged herself up three flights of stairs to Adam Ross' third floor apartment. He opened the door and nodded his head toward the couch where Caleb was asleep under a Batman comforter with his thumb hanging out of his mouth. She smiled and followed Adam to the kitchen, "Thanks so much. Seriously."

"No problem," He handed her a bottle of water, "he's a great little guy. Even legitimately kicked my butt in a round of Mario Kart before passing out to a Rugrats rerun."

"Yeah," Lindsay smiled fondly, "How much do I owe you for watching him? Seriously, name your price, Ross."

"Don't worry about it," He waved her away when she tried to pull out her wallet.

"Adam," She looked up at him, "I have to pay you something. I mean, he's a great kid but I'm totally aware of the fact that he's no saint either."

"You can repay me," Adam leaned against the counter, "by letting me take you two out to dinner the next night we both have off."

She grinned, "You askin' me out, Adam Ross?"

"That depends," He grinned right back, "are you saying yes?"

They had been flirting over the mass spec for weeks and Lindsay's heart was all aflutter at the prospect of a date. With someone who genuinely liked her son no less! Biting her lip, she nodded, "Yes."

"Then, yes." Adam nodded, "I'm asking you out."

"It's a date."

Adam hopped on the counter and she leaned against the one across from him, "Tell me about him. I knew you had a kid... but where's his dad and stuff."

"He, uhm..." Lindsay ran a hand through her dark brown hair, "I went through some stuff back in Montana that wasn't very fun... and I rebelled pretty hard afterward. A few short years later and, uh, my college boyfriend is leaving with the girl he was cheating on me with and I'm holding a stick I just peed on that has two pink lines."

"Crap."

"You said it," She nodded her agreement, "but my parents helped me through it and he's worth it. He really saved me."

"I'm glad he did."

"Me too," Lindsay smiled at him, "I should get him home. It's been a long day."

Adam carried the sleeping boy down the stairs and held him until Lindsay was able to hail a cab. Sitting in the cab with her slumbering son in her lap, she watched Adam standing on the sidewalk until he disappeared into the darkness of the night. They were half-way back to their apartment when Caleb mumbled sleepily, "Best birfday ever."


End file.
